For a record made from self-interrogation and one’s personal “stuff,” Returning To Myself has an awful lot to say about the acutely dreadful sensations of being alive right now in 2025, even on tracks other than “Church & State,” where Carlile and her band rev up a defiant, fire-kissed elegy for an American that didn’t get to be (and, if we’re being honest, may not been even if the 2024 election had turned out for the better). Being human is hard; being human is a joy; being human is isolating; being human is inclusive. I wonder if Carlile would ratify this assessment herself, considering the record’s genesis as a reclamation of her identity as an artist rather than as a general (though any army should be so lucky to have her leading it).
Anyways. You can check out the full review over at Paste Magazine.
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